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First, Gideon is incorrect in thinking the SAPS were forced into this and the SAPS legal team headed by state Adv Louis Kok actually tackled the drafting of this legislation with enthusiasm. While it may well be true that the rank and file of the SAPS were not in favour, that is not true of management and the politically swayed. Unfortunately, what the rank and file think seems of no interest at all to SAPS management.
The Firearm Control Act is the most contentious piece of legislation yet introduced in South Africa, awarding the ANC government full control over all civilian arms at the stroke of a Ministers pen without any parliamentary oversight whatsoever. The Act was from the outset, entirely based on lies, hysteria and deliberately distorted data derived from the Gun Control lobby, quoting “children being slaughtered in the Cape” concocted by inter alia governments sponsored research of the Gun Control Alliance and Red Cross Children's Hospital. The Gun Control Alliance were even given office space and facilities at the department of Safety and Security.
When contested as a bill, receiving more than 2000 submissions, the vast majority composing complete opposition and disagreement, the submissions were not even opened, let alone considered. 270 drafts later and feigned 'consultation' which was purely another dog and pony show offered by the SAPS legal team. This travesty even after it was pointed out the stakeholders had not been consulted, blatantly illustrated by ensuring that everyone knew the Act policy was not even up for discussion.
This in fact was the FIXIT period since nothing else could be discussed but the implementation problems, which were on their own insurmountable. They remain insurmountable. The policy, aims and ability to achieve the end result are all fatally flawed and nigh on impossible. It can be categorically stated that the Firearm Control Act cannot be fixed in order for it to achieve its claimed objectives. No firearm organisation in South Africa has any excuse for not knowing this.
Thus any attempt at fixing the Firearm Control Act must be seen as an attempt to curry favour with the SAPS and ANC to the detriment of all citizens safety, firearm owners or not. There is no question that gun control will endanger peoples lives by removing the best defence they could possibly obtain. It is ludicrous to claim that giving criminals victims that come with a government backed guarantee of being unarmed is going to reduce crime or make anyone safer. Yet ANC ministers have claimed just that, purely based on gun control lies and the ANC desire for overall control of the population at any cost.
That simple fact should be enough to make it clear not just to firearm organisations but the entire population, that the ANC are not going to relinquish what they have been given already without a fight. The fight should have taken place before peoples rights were so easily and uncaringly quashed by firearm organisations total lack of opposition or concern for members and citizens rights to safety and security. Are they prepared or not to fight now for peoples safety?
Does anyone at all actually care about overall public safety? This has yet to be shown to be true, not surprisingly, firearm organisations get practically no support at all from the public in return for their record of abdication of duty and lack of concern for members or public safety and well-being.
